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Harry Redknapp: The Aftermath

Would you keep Arry after the Season?

  • Yes - He's done well and should be given at least one more season to consolidate our team

    Votes: 25 53.2%

  • No - he's peaked and would hold us back.

    Votes: 22 46.8%
  • Total voters
    47
Yea just saw him on SSN too. He also mentioned that Chelsea were able to make 8 changes and bring on Torres who was 50million. Of course the squad he's assembled has nothing to do with him.
 
elltrev said:
I don't think it's right to then just assume that's because of our training or levels of fitness. I think psychology might play a huge part - mental fatigue rather than physical. I don't know though.
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It's actually a contradiction isn't it? Fitness levels will have an effect on performance over 90 minutes regardless of what stage of the season a team is at. Physical fatigue has nothing to do with fitness levels, and physical fatigue is cured by having three or four days rest (basically no training).

Professional athletes, which is what footballers are, should EASILY be able to cope with 180 minutes of intense activity a week. Hell there are amateur fitness fanatics out there who put themslves through 120 minutes of intense activity daily!

It seems that so many fans are stuck in a computer game world now, that they think if a club doesn't have a dedicated fitness coach that they are falling behind, aren't scientific enough etc. People said under Jol we weren't fit enough. Under Redknapp we weren't fit enough (despite the fact that our players cover more distance than most other teams during the course of a match. FACT!) and under Ramos we were apparently supremely fit. What a load of gonads. We finished strongly under Jol one season, tailed off on another. We've finished strongly under Redknapp twice. Do people REALLY think that in the course of a season or so our fitness levels have dropped? It's utter nonsense. We would have been training the same way as we were three seasons ago and if the fitness levels were good enough then, they're good enough now. Couple that with the fact that Spurs have scored MORE goals than any other club this season between the 60th and 75th minute I think it puts the fitness argument to bed once and for all.

Mental fatigue is exactly where it as. Unfortunately quite often that can't be influenced by anything than results. It's a self fulfilling prophecy. It was throwing away that two goal lead against Arsenal that dented our confidence massively. On a micro level how often do you see a team get battered in the first half and people say they looked so tired out there etc, only for the same team to come out in the second half and score an early goal and then dominate the second half with energy levels they seemed to be lacking in the first half? Of course usually then the cliche dumb response is that the team that dominated in the first half has now tired. It's gonads.

The one factor that us fans rarely take into consideration are injuries and sickness. Players do play with colds, and that will have an effect on stamina levels. Players almost always play with injuries. I remember on Sky Chris Kamara and a few of the others were having a discussiuon and Kamara stated that almost all professional footballers play with an injury for 80% of their career. In those cases fatigue does play a part. If a player has a small groin strain then quite often that can only be cured by rest. And by rest I literally mean three or four weeks off of playing. But most players can play with a small groin strain. They may not even feel it that much after the match, but they may feel it for a couple of days afterwards. If that player then has to play two games in four days then the second game the player may not be at peak performance levels. Not due to lack of fitness in terms of stamina (which is what fans associate the word fitness with) but because their groin will hurt and they will have less flexibility. Plus depenant on the player that groin strain may have a mental effect on them too. Some people just get on with it, some don't. In those cases I do advocate squad rotation.

So I guess the question is, are we unfit? Is that the cause of our poor form? No, it's not. We're still dominating teams, our players are still covering more distance than most teams we play. Harry is actually right, we aren't playing badly as a team. We get into the right positions going forward, but it's individual shortcomings (whether it be crossing or finishing for example) that is letting us down. It's the same at the back. It's individual errors by defenders that are letting teams in to score, not because tactically or fitness wise we are crumbling at the back all of a sudden. QPR being a prime example. One poor free kick (that actually should NOT have been a free kick anyway) and misjudgement by Friedel and we concede. We dominated that match, had three times more passes in their final third than they did in ours, had over three times the amount of crosses they had (and tellingly out of the 36 crosses we put in, only 9 reached a Spurs player and most of them weren't of great quality so the player could do little about it) and had 13 corners.

Right now it's about belief. We need that belief to start this afternoon by beating Blackburn. If we play the way we've been playing, but have a little more quality in the final ball and finishing and beat Blackburn comfortably all of a sudden our confidence will return, people will be saying how fit we look and any talk of disgruntled players will be forgotten all in the space of one match. It's ridiculous but true, such is perception.

The players are good enough, the Manager is good enough. We've proven that not only this season, but last season and the two season's before that. We now need them to believe it.
 
thfcsteff said:
Frank Lampard = winner with experience. Wayne Rooney = winner with experience. Lampard, this season, has been a sub for a lot of games. No, the fact is we were on the cusp of greatness with a great squad. They needed corralling , a little cajoling and to absurd the experience of enduring being a front runner. That, for me, is the job of management. Earlier in his career, under Ranieri and specifically under Mourinho, Lampard learnt how to do what he does and be what he is. Rooney learnt from Ferguson. Both managers have been both supportive and critical of their "stars". Harry had the right tools at his disposal, yet sorely under-utilized and under-prepared them.

He blooded a whole set of youngsters in Europe, yet none of them featured inn the second-half of the season; Townshend in particular could've offered at the very least a boost of energy.

He absolutely could've got away with playing Charlie instead of Walker in a few away games, no doubt in my mind. Ditto Livermore for Parker. Further, an important way of keeping players onside when the think part of the season is on, is to keep it simple and play players where they play. Perhaps also instruct your wide men to predominantly stay wide. Perhaps develop another system which utilizes the fit personnel you have available.

I'm not looking for the earth and I'm not looking for Mourinho, I'm just looking for more than "let 'em get on win' it" because the difference between "they should be 'appy win' top 5" and winning the title or pushing hard for it and finishing second or third, is having a clue how to get through the business end of the season.
Yes, Harry did it once. But EVERYONE has forgotten how important the much MUCH maligned (and under-supported by Harry) Gomes SAVED us with stupendous saves against the filth and chelski during those two home wins that April. Indeed, Gomes was excellent for most of that season. Anyhow, I digress (slightly)...

I think Charlie is right.
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Agree with this. Football, at an elite level, is about fine margins. All the top coaches will say that, and it is why the likes of Mourinho are OBSESSED with the details.

Redknapp, on the other hand, has frequently said that the fine margins don't matter (even extending that to formations and tactical setup) because none of these details will make a player kick a ball better, etc. Just keep them happy, motivated with an arm round the shoulder and send them out there to play football freely. Grossly naive, which is one of the reasons why I've never been a fan of the guy and never think he'll be a top, top manager.
 
bankrupt said:
Agree with this. Football, at an elite level, is about fine margins. All the top coaches will say that, and it is why the likes of Mourinho are OBSESSED with the details.

Redknapp, on the other hand, has frequently said that the fine margins don't matter (even extending that to formations and tactical setup) because none of these details will make a player kick a ball better, etc. Just keep them happy, motivated with an arm round the shoulder and send them out there to play football freely. Grossly naive, which is one of the reasons why I've never been a fan of the guy and never think he'll be a top, top manager.
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How many top top Managers are there though? In terms of the Premiership you have two. Ferguson and Wenger. On a worldworld scale, or even European scale, I'd say neither of them were top top Managers based on the fact they've been involved in the Champions League for years and achieved comparitively very little in it.
 
The Moonlit Knight said:
Professional athletes, which is what footballers are, should EASILY be able to cope with 180 minutes of intense activity a week. Hell there are amateur fitness fanatics out there who put themslves through 120 minutes of intense activity daily!

It seems that so many fans are stuck in a computer game world now, that they think if a club doesn't have a dedicated fitness coach that they are falling behind, aren't scientific enough etc. People said under Jol we weren't fit enough. Under Redknapp we weren't fit enough (despite the fact that our players cover more distance than most other teams during the course of a match. FACT!) and under Ramos we were apparently supremely fit. What a load of gonads. We finished strongly under Jol one season, tailed off on another. We've finished strongly under Redknapp twice. Do people REALLY think that in the course of a season or so our fitness levels have dropped? It's utter nonsense. We would have been training the same way as we were three seasons ago and if the fitness levels were good enough then, they're good enough now. Couple that with the fact that Spurs have scored MORE goals than any other club this season between the 60th and 75th minute I think it puts the fitness argument to bed once and for all.
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Couple of points, EVERY Premier League club as a dedicated fitness coach. Or, more specifically, a dedicated fitness team (distinct from the medical/physiotherapy team).

Also, we picked up fewer injuries under Ramos than Jol or Redknapp, as far as I can see. Even Tainio was regularly fit to play. Look at our injury lists this season - they've been approaching double figures at times. Maybe that's coincidence, but I don't think so. I wouldn't claim that fitness is the be all and end all explanation for our form dropping off in the past two seasons, but it would play a part, and one of the fine margins mentioned above that I would rather a manager of ours was paying close attention to.
 
The Moonlit Knight said:
How many top top Managers are there though? In terms of the Premiership you have two. Ferguson and Wenger. On a worldworld scale, or even European scale, I'd say neither of them were top top Managers based on the fact they've been involved in the Champions League for years and achieved comparitively very little in it.
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Well, yes, it's about definitions. The term "top, top" was a Redknapp based word-gag. I would probably be more inclined to use the word "elite". I'm not claiming the world is awash with elite coaches. Certainly, this country isn't. We have a few that show potential, but generally the state of coaching is not looking great, as we have a whole generation that is about to retire off - Hiddink, Capello, van Gaal, Ferguson, Trapattoni, etc. and seemingly no one in the generation below them emerging to take over (even to get to likes of Mourinho and Guardiola you have to skip a generation).

I'm not saying that attention to detail makes you an elite coach by default, more that you won't find an elite coach that doesn't pay great attention to the details.
 
I just don't understand what good does this do? It's like going back to last summer all over again. Could probably rehash all the old quotes. He never really took to this club, and I think we never took to him.

The Saudi Sportswashing Machine home game almost made us all fall in love with each other, but alas it turned out to be a one night stand
 
Great article from Windy

http://windycoys.blogspot.com/

How dare he? How dare this man, who has flirted with the England manager's job since before it even became available, undermine our club... my club, by talking about the future of our best player, when he... this media Succubus, is unlikely to be even at the helm come the summer? So enraged am I, that I've done the only thing any middle-class football fan worth his salt would do; write a strongly-worded letter to the club.



Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing with regard to the recent undermining nature of our manager's press conferences; not just undermining the players but, more importantly, the club and fans.

Harry Redknapp has always had a reputation for being cosy with the media. Complaints about him have ranged from disrespecting other clubs by talking about their players whilst still under contract, to referring to the Tottenham Hotspur fan-base as "them". He has, of course, ticked both of these boxes in the last seven days, but this is the tip of the iceberg. Please allow me to present some quotes from just the last week of press conferences:

"We haven’t got the biggest squad. Chelsea made eight changes to play Arsenal and still looked good. I only had one striker and two centre halves — Ledley King and William Gallas — and if one of those got injured I was bang in trouble and would have had to use Bongani Khumalo, who has been on loan at Reading this season and didn’t get in their side. We were desperate. I had five central defenders and now I have only two. I have lost Dawson, Kaboul and Nelsen."

Where to start with this? Firstly, the size of the squad is entirely within his control - his hand was on the trigger finger in January when he let Corluka, Pienaar, and Pavlyuchenko leave, as well as younger players (like Townsend, Carroll and Kane) who had all impressed in the Europa League.

Secondly, it is incredible that he can bemoan losing Ryan Nelsen, who has grown increasingly injury prone throughout his career, and had only managed one match this season prior to joining us due to ongoing injury issues.

Finally, I was in utter disbelief when I read the reference to Bongani Khumalo. Not only is Bongani Khumalo a Harry Redknapp signing (or at least someone brought in under his reign); not only is he from our partnership club in South Africa, SuperSport United (and therefore these comments could be damaging to the club relations and marketing opportunities); not only is he a member of the squad that may well yet be needed (it is vital to keep spirits up amongst squad players - what must the others who didn't make the bench think?); but he is human - this is a totally unnecessary slight. He has used Bongani as a tool to indicate to the chairman and fans that he is down to the "bare bones" (as he likes to say), and so it cannot possibly be his fault that we lost last week. At least Darren Bent can now rest easily knowing that it was nothing personal.

"I said to the chairman 'Can you get me Carlos Tevez'. It wasn't possible, but that was my dream, 'Can we get Tevez'. We would have loved Tevez, but it wasn't doable because his wages are whatever they are – ?ú200,000 a week, it's not possible at Tottenham to buy him."

Carlos Tevez is under contract with Emirates Marketing Project and so, firstly, it is totally disrespectful to him and them to discuss him openly like this - particularly matters of finance. In addition, I have no idea what planet Mr Redknapp is on if he thought that a rival club were going to sell us a key player in the January transfer window (bearing in mind the position we were in at the time), and that Tevez would join a club who pay a maximum of under half his wages. Finally, it is absolutely vital that a club of our stature, who pay top wages but not top wages think outside the box when it comes to transfers - was Tevez 'Plan A', and Saha 'Plan B'? I personally find that concerning, and this comment shows Mr Redknapp as, at best, naive in the transfer market.

"No players have ever come to me and said: 'Gaffer I feel tired'. If they said that then I would have left them out. Some of their stats have gone down but that's because they have not wanted to run about enough, it's not because they are particularly knackered. I didn't play any of them in the Uefa Cup [sic], FA Cup, most of them didn't play until the later rounds so, the players have probably played on average 30 games this year which I don't think is a lot. Frank Lampard plays how many games a season? Ashley Cole, Wayne Rooney and Patrice Evra are not being rotated, so it's a load of nonsense. It's an excuse."

Firstly, Mr Redknapp is very wrong with his estimation of how many games our players have played - Walker has played 41, Assou-Ekotto 39, Bale 37, Modric 36, Kaboul 35, etc. Nine players have played 30 games or more, with four matches to go.

Ignoring that, his lack of understanding of fatigue, both mental and physical, is not only concerning, but must be a constant worry to the players, who need their bodies and minds in elite condition to maximise their earning potential. Speaking about tiredness in this way is not only patronising, but actually dangerous. The likes of Walker and Assou-Ekotto have had a big dip in form, which most fans agree is at least in part due to tiredness due to lack of rotation, but Mr Redknapp would rather blame the players than his own selection policy - "they have not wanted to run about enough". Yet he himself spoke about the dangers of Scott Parker damaging a hamstring after the Norwich game - Parker is one of the players whose form has dipped most significantly due to over-use.

Mr Redknapp then changes his mind.

'It's my decision. It's difficult to rotate a team. It's okay to rotate if you have enough players to do it but I have not been in that position due to injuries.

Now the reason is not that he doesn't want to rotate because the players don't need to be rested, but because he hasn't got enough players due to injury. At this point I feel I need to mention Corluka, Pienaar, etc again.

I saved my personal favourite on rotation until last.

"I don't ever remember Bobby Moore getting rotated, nor Geoff Hurst, Martin Peters, Dave Mackay or Alan Mullery. They played ankle deep in mud every week."

As a fan of our great club, I find myself cringing whenever Mr Redknapp takes to the floor, but none more so than having read this. Having played football during the 60s himself, he must realise that today's game is far quicker, more intense, and puts a lot more strain on the body. The pitches that he references slowed the game down and meant that it was played at a fraction of the pace that matches are played at now. Today's hard, flat pitches are great for the spectator, but mean that the players have to put more into a match. His apparent lack of understanding of modern football - or perhaps it isn't that, perhaps it's that he doesn't like the way football has evolved - is a huge concern.

A lot of fans agree with Mr Redknapp's comments about players not getting tired having played 30 games, etc. "It's only one game a week for 30 weeks! How can they be tired?!" That attitude is totally missing the point. Players do not just need to be "not tired" - they need to be managed so that they are as close to their peak physical condition as possible, and this is where sports science should be used throughout the club. An extra 10% can be the difference between 3 points and 0 points.

And finally.


"Last summer it was vital that we kept hold of Luka. I don't think we will have to do it with people like Gareth Bale this summer. Luka, it's different with him. I don't know what he would do. I would be lying if I said I was sure that he would stay. You don't know."

The game this weekend is massive for the club. The manager, staff and players need to pull together and ensure that we get a win so that we can finish the season strongly. Commenting on the future of one of our key players in this way - hinting that he may leave this summer - is not only totally unnecessary, but potentially destructive. Not only this, it sends a message to Champions League clubs - Luka Modric is available for transfer. The correct way to answer any questions about Modric's future would have been:

"I don't want to speak about any contract or transfer situations at the moment - we have an important match to focus on". If he was so desperate to comment on Modric's future, he could even have said "Mr Levy decides when he lets contracted players leave, and any move would be with the best interest of the club in mind."


In closing, I ask that you immediately relieve Mr Redknapp of his duties. And by duties, I mean press conference duties - let Kevin Bond do them for the rest of the season. Or Chirpy.

Yours faithfully,

Windy
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And Windy is one of the most loyal patient fans you could imagine (well judging from his tweets and blog). Redknapp is losing any friends he may have had in his corner very very quickly.

If we fail to win today, I predict the fallout will be spectacular. Players being touted for moves, fans being criticised and this will all be from the manager.
 
bankrupt said:
Well, yes, it's about definitions. The term "top, top" was a Redknapp based word-gag. I would probably be more inclined to use the word "elite". I'm not claiming the world is awash with elite coaches. Certainly, this country isn't. We have a few that show potential, but generally the state of coaching is not looking great, as we have a whole generation that is about to retire off - Hiddink, Capello, van Gaal, Ferguson, Trapattoni, etc. and seemingly no one in the generation below them emerging to take over (even to get to likes of Mourinho and Guardiola you have to skip a generation).

I'm not saying that attention to detail makes you an elite coach by default, more that you won't find an elite coach that doesn't pay great attention to the details.
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One thing Harry came out with a little while back was that Lennon kept picking up hamstring injuries. Well, actually look at our injuries this season and Lennon is not the only one. VdV, Adebayor, King, Bale, Defoe have all picked up hamstring injuries which have kept them out of games since January. Something isn't right.
 
diego_maradona said:
I just don't understand what good does this do? It's like going back to last summer all over again.
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Im at a loss this time. I could understand last summer how he could be perceived to be playing good cop to Levy's bad cop to try to appease Modric as much as possible (whether i agree with it or not this is what it was about). But now just before the end of the season when we have incredibly important games coming up, to come out with these kind of quotes just makes no sense. I can understand if Redknapp is asked a direct question about Modric he may feel the need to give an answer but surely it would be better for everyone if he just said in response "theres nothing to discuss currently, we havent finished the season, we are concentrating on our last few games" etc etc etc. Is it not that simple or am i missing something?
 
suffolkspur said:
Im at a loss this time. I could understand last summer how he could be perceived to be playing good cop to Levy's bad cop to try to appease Modric as much as possible (whether i agree with it or not this is what it was about). But now just before the end of the season when we have incredibly important games coming up, to come out with these kind of quotes just makes no sense. I can understand if Redknapp is asked a direct question about Modric he may feel the need to give an answer but surely it would be better for everyone if he just said in response "theres nothing to discuss currently, we havent finished the season, we are concentrating on our last few games" etc etc etc. Is it not that simple or am i missing something?
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Surely it's not that hard.
 
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